Spoilers ahead! TV series are our modality of relaxing of escaping reality. It is often we develop feelings towards the characters or become so immersed in the action as to have little patience to see what will happen next. This being said, the finales of TV shows have great importance as they seal the stories and let us move on to others. However, not all finales had satisfying endings. Some of them didn’t provide enough conclusions, while others had such weird endings they left us with a bitter taste. Here are the 7 most talked about TV show finales.

1. How I Met Your Mother

This TV series which ran for 9 full years was considered by many the successor of Friends. After numerous brilliantly-written episodes, fans were expecting a matching finale. However, the final episode left many very disappointed. The mother whom everybody was waiting to meet from the beginning of the series dies minutes after appearing on-screen, and Ted Mosby reunites with Robin, his girlfriend from the first season. And everything happens after Barney and Robin get their marriage destroyed.

2. Dexter

Dexter was a completely unique TV show, where viewers had the chance to emphasize with a villain. Although it had many violent scenes, Dexter also taught his viewers about life values and situations and had some truly deep scenes. It was expected to have an ambiguous end, but the final episode is often ranked as the worse finale of all time. Debra, Dexter’s sister, is killed off in an action triggered by the protagonist. Her brother then takes her body on a boat and drives off into a storm in the ocean. An epilogue scene reveals that he somehow managed to survive and became a lumberjack in Alaska. How satisfying.

3. Lost

This is one of the finales that can be either disappointing or brilliant, and has received mixed reviews. After six seasons of something you consider real, it can be frustrating to discover in the end that it was some sort of afterlife. However, too many plots have remained unsolved and some of them did not receive proper endings, like the case for Sawyer and his father. On the other hand, it is the perfect ending for fans who like ambiguity, as the ending was left open for interpretation.

4. Two and a Half Men

Two and a Half Men was a hugely popular sitcom that degraded in time. After the feud between the director, Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen, his character was brutally dismissed and made fun of. After being killed by his ex-girlfriend, it is revealed that he was actually living in Rose’s basement. In the final scene of the series, we see Charlie played by a Charlie Sheen lookalike ringing the doorbell of the house, just before a piano smashes on him. The camera pans out and we see Chuck Lorre himself, who turns around simply saying: “Winning.” Many considered this to be distasteful way to end the finale, and Lorre was highly criticised for focusing on the feud rather than on the action or characters.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has received mixed reactions. The producers tried to make the show regain its balance, since over the last seasons it had become repetitive. As a result, they made the final confrontation more dangerous than any previous battles. On one hand, it wrapped up all loose ends quite nicely, and no plot was left unattended. On the other hand, as many fans underlined, the producers seemed to forget the classic rules of the show, like the fact that there could only be one vampire slayer.

6. The Sopranos

Loved by both fans and critics, The Sopranos was one of the most popular TV series of its time. Viewers have witnessed for eight years the life of Tony, the leader of the Italian mafia in New Jersey. When the series finale was approaching, everybody kept wondering whether he will be killed or not in the end. The last scene of the final episode shows a buildup of tension, as some supposed shooters are keeping an eye on Tony while he is at a restaurant. However, we never get to know what happened, because the screen suddenly turns black, leaving fans extremely disappointed.

7. Smallville

The success of Smallville came as a total surprise, as nobody expected it to last for ten years. Showing how Clark Kent was beginning to come to terms with his powers, the series ended with him finally receiving his costume. However, fans only got a very short glimpse at his red cape. Many also considered the ending with Clark and Lois’ wedding to simplistic, as well as the use of magic to wipe minds. Furthermore, the defeat of Darkseid seemed way too easy.